The Health Benefits of Tea and Coffee

16th: Feb; 2012

Ordinary consumption of caffeine itself poses few known health risks, and many recent pieces of research indicate that caffeine drinks might actually help protect against certain diseases, including cancer. This is often down to the other compounds associated with these drinks.

Green tea, for example, has grown in popularity in the West in recent years. It has been the subject of many scientific and medical studies, which set out to test the its espoused health benefits, including the suggestion that regular consumption of green tea lowers the risk of developing heart disease and some types of cancer.

Research conducted by Penn State University Food Science department has revealed that green tea could also help to tackle obesity. In a study of obese mice, they found that mice who had been fed a green tea compound along with a high-fat diet gained weight more slowly than the control group. The indication is that people who want to shift some weight might be able to do so using green tea as a metabolic stimulator.

Now researchers at the University of Western Australia have found that even good old black tea can lower blood pressure and prevent heart disease. They found that people who drank eight cups of black leaf tea such as English Breakfast or Earl Grey had significantly lower rates of blood pressure.

In the six month study, half of the volunteers with normal to high blood pressure were given 429 milligrams of a plant chemical called polyphenols every day, which is equal to drinking eight and a half cups of tea, while a control group were given a tea-flavoured placebo. After six months the volunteers who had been consuming the plant chemical had significantly lower blood pressure.

Coffee has been found to reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes, which is a major heart disease risk factor. It has also been shown to have potential anti-cancer properties, offering those who drink it lower rates of colon, breast and rectal cancer among its health benefits.

So next time you’re at the vending machine waiting for your hot, caffeinated indulgence, remember it can form part of your healthy eating and drinking regime!

The Health Benefits of Tea and Coffee

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